ditorials

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Alzheimer's Program:
A Needed Symbol

Alzheimer's disease exacts a terrible toll on
those who have the affliction and on those
who care for them. The debilitating disorder
gradually strips memory and function from
its victims and independence and freedom
from their families.
The Detroit Jewish community's
Commission on Jewish Eldercare Services
(COJES) has taken a major step to help
Alzheimer's and dementia victims and their
caregivers. In addition to the day program at
Fleischman Residence for Alzheimer's
patients with early symptoms of the disease,
COJES is building a new facility on the
Maple/Drake Jewish Community Campus to
help late-stage Alzheimer's and dementia
patients.
The new day program will give these late-
stage patients needed supervision and thera-
py during the day, and then return the
patients to their homes and families each
afternoon. The program will save expensive
nursing home costs while maintaining the
quality of life that remaining at home
affords.
At the same time, family caregivers can
lead a more normal life while their ill loved-
one is at day care.
The Jewish Federation has been criticized
frequently in recent years for its closing of
Borman Hall in Detroit and Prentis Manor
in Southfield. COJES haS been called by
some another layer of bureaucracy. Many of
the critics are impatient because of the time
lapse between the closing of two Jewish nurs-
ing homes and the creation of new services
to take their place.
The new day-care program for late-stage
Alzheimer's patients is a major step on the
road to revamping Jewish communal care for
its elderly. It is one step, but an important
one for the community's elderly, their fami-
lies, and Federation's credibility in this
important service area. ❑

Painful Progress
In The Middle East

That grinding sound you hear is not just the
gnashing of Palestinian and Israeli teeth. It's
also the battered wheels of the Middle East
peace process turning once again — slowly
and painfully.
While met with jeers from Israeli oppo-
nents and Palestinians, Binyamin
Netanyahu's cabinet endorsement this week
of land for peace was significant — if it will
be followed through. There were, of course,

12/5
1997

26

conditions. The Palestinians, the cabinet
insisted, must control terrorism. The worst
part of such statements is that because of the
Palestinian leadership's behavior, they are as
obvious in fact as they are necessary to
repeat.
True, because the Netanyahu government
offered zero specifics, few in the Israeli oppo-
sition, let alone a number of government
ministers, believe that the Netanyahu admin-
istration will cede anywhere near the 80 per-
cent of West Bank land that the Palestinians
demand.

The Netanyahu
government is
starting to face the
sobering reality.

No problem. Just because the Palestinians
hold a hoop does not mean that the Israelis
must jump. While Israel should have a loose
understanding of where it's heading, it need
not give a detailed map on a silver platter to
the Palestinians or anyone else.
Yet, we are encouraged that some realistic
thinking is emanating from Netanyahu's
ranks. Monday night, Ariel Sharon,-an expe-
rienced senior minister, flatly told the Israeli
public on television, "We can't hide our head
in the sand... In the wake of the Oslo
Accords, a Palestinian state is coming into
existence. We should see this soberly and
take the necessary steps to ensure the dangers
from the establishment of such a state will be
minimal."
We believe that such dangers, which are
quite real, are pale when compared to the
price of not moving in such a direction —
world economic blackmail, continual terror-
ism and, eventually, full scale war.
Sharon's remarks came in response to
Palestinian claims that if they do not gain the
land they want, they will simply declare a
Palestinian state. They know that the majori-
ty of world countries will support the move.
Netanyahu responded that if this happened,
Israel would annex areas of the West Bank.
Obviously, both politicians are playing to
their publics. Their actions, not their words,
are paramount.
Meanwhile, albeit with characteristic
fuzziness, the Israeli government again
promises to work on a broad framework for a
final agreement. That's exponentially prefer-
able than commenting on the latest acts of
terrorism. ❑

Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of
Tolerance in Los Angeles during his recent U.S. visit.

LETTERS

An Exceptional
Appointment?

Regarding "From Ford
Country to Fjord Country"
(Nov. 21), time out!
Five and one half years
ago, then Governor Clinton
pilloried President George
Bush for awarding ambas-
sadorships to wealthy political
supporters. The charge was
one that Governor Clinton
repeated over and over again.
The list of qualifications
that you label "An
Ambassador Resume" is miss-
ing the lead item for that list:
multi-million-dollar donor to
the Democratic Party and to
William Jefferson Clinton.
Mr. Hermelin may or may
not deserve the accolades
attributed to him in the arti-
cle, but that is irrelevant to
the reality that President

David Hermelin

Clinton, in appointing Mr.
Hermelin to be ambassador,
violated the standard for
ambassadorial appointments
urged by Governor Clinton 54 ,
1/2 years ago. This hypocrisy -
between word and deed is all
too emblematic of the politi-
cal left's behavior in modern
America.
My second objection stems
from Mr. Hermelin's gratu-

APPOINTMENT on page 30